Four masterly and extremely different string quartets by Polish composers: from the cornerstones of the sixties by Witold Lutoslawski and Krzysztof Penderecki to the recent Kronos Quartet commissions - works by Henryk Mikolaj Górecki and Pawel Mykietyn - in a visionary performance by the Kronos Quartet.
Jutrznia is a magnificent contemporary oratorio in five parts for two mixed choirs, five solo voices and symphony orchestra is a spine-tingling evocation of deep religious and otherworldly experience.
With comprehensive selection from Penderecki's masterpieces that can be regarded as samples of stylistic evolution of his music, this exclusive CD also includes 4-page booklet with detailed information about the recordings as well as essays in Polish and English languages.
Around the mid-1970s Penderecki's style began to change. The Violin Concerto No. 1 largely leaves behind the dense tone clusters with which he had been associated, and instead focuses on two melodic intervals: the semitone and the tritone. Some commentators went so far as to compare this new direction to Anton Bruckner. This direction continued with the Symphony No. 2, Christmas (1980), which is rather straightforward from a harmonic and melodic standpoint for a composer who had been one of the most experimental in Europe. It makes frequent use of the tune of the Christmas carol, "Silent Night".
The Polish Requiem of Krzysztof Penderecki, for for a quartet of soloists, choir and symphony orchestra, combines modern idion with tradition. Penderecki makes use of the vast possibilities of contemporary compositions in this missae pro defunctis (Mass for the Death), taken from the Church's Latin liturgy and Polish religious tradition. This exclusive 2-CD set includes 8-page booklet with detailed information about the recordings as well as essays in Polish and English languages.
Rozycki's music, to this one of the best known Polish stories ever told, is of characteristic form, drawing for its musical inspiration mainly from folklore, both Polish and foreign. It is the source of expressive motifs and dance forms (krakoviak, oberek, mazurka). The composition is richly instrumented, melodic, lively, interwoven with familiar childhood melodies of folk origin.
Highlights from the opera.
The music of Moniuszko's works is largely representative of the 19-th century opera, given the extensive use by the composer of arias, recitatives and ensembles. His music too, although stylistically distinct, evidently incorporates many national motifs: Polish dances popular among upper classes such as polonaise and mazurka, and folk tunes and dances such as kujawiak and krakowiak.
Wanda Wilkomirska is my choice for most underrated/underappreciated violinist of the 20th century.
She is the only violinist of whom I can say that EVERY piece I've heard her play (live or recorded) was either absolutely the best performance of that piece I had ever heard, or was right up there in a tie with the very best.(Terry King)
The great Polish pianist Witold Malcuzynski (1914-1977) was one of the most outstanding musicians of his time. He understood the romantic piano like few and gave us the gift of the truest and probably most passionate interpretations ever to exist. This is a tribute to the artist who once amazed the world with a style and a conception that should not remain unknown to music lovers nowadays.
The great Polish pianist Witold Malcuzynski (1914-1977) was one of the most outstanding musicians of his time. He understood the romantic piano like few and gave us the gift of the truest and probably most passionate interpretations ever to exist.
The selection of titles reflects the diversity of techniques used by the contemporary film artists in Poland: a classical and computer animation, the stories painted directly into the camera - on the glass and canvas, collages and drawings, and the live cutouts. "Action Animation" is also a record of changes that have taken place in the Polish animation in the last two decades, as seen from the perspective of young artists.
Four masterpieces from one of Poland's most prominent filmmaker: Zdjecia próbne (Screen Tests), Aktorzy prowincjonalni (Provincial Actors), Goraczka (The Fever), and Kobieta samotna ( A Woman Alone).
Einstein's Cosmic Messengers DVD is a stunning, vertiginous journey through magnificent visions of the Universe, through Einstein's genius and obsessions, and through LIGO's advanced technology and breathtaking scope. Centazzo's music synthesizes the mystery of Oriental percussive vibrations with the timbral harmonic understanding of contemporary music, and the soul of jazz and rock post-culture.<
"Munk's style", A. Jackiewicz wrote in his book, having EROICA and BAD LUCK in mind, "clearly dissociated itself from the lyricism of almost the entire 'school'. In terms of genre his films evoke associations with an 18th-century philosophical tale rather than, as Wajda's works do, with an epic poem. The tissue of Munk's new films was a realistic tissue, with a tendency for quasi-documentary figures... when metaphors were used in Munk's works, the technique was like the surrealism in the comedies of Chaplin rather than - as was the case with Wajda - Bunuel".
A major figure in the world of post-World War II Eastern European cinema,
Polish director Andrzej Wajda has chronicled his country's political and social
evolution with sensitivity, fervor, and a refusal to make compromises in dealing
with his difficult subjects. Once dubbed a symbol for his besieged country,
Wajda has repeatedly drawn from Poland's history to suit his tragic sensibility,
crafting an oeuvre of work that devastates even as it informs. (Hal
Erickson)
This 10-DVD's set includes ten movies:
Pan Tadeusz (The Last Foray in Lithuania ), 1999
Czlowiek z marmuru (Man of marble), 1977
Czlowiek z zelaza (Man of steel), 1981
Ziemia obiecana (The Promised Land ), 1975
Danton, 1983
Zemsta (The Revenge), 2002
Korczak, 1990
Panny z Wilka (Young Girls of Wilko), 1979
Krajobraz po bitwie (Landscape After Battle), 1970
A major figure in the world of post-World War II Eastern European cinema,
Polish director Andrzej Wajda has chronicled his country's political and social
evolution with sensitivity, fervor, and a refusal to make compromises in dealing
with his difficult subjects. Once dubbed a symbol for his besieged country,
Wajda has repeatedly drawn from Poland's history to suit his tragic sensibility,
crafting an oeuvre of work that devastates even as it informs. (Hal
Erickson)
